1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement of an image sensor and an image sensing apparatus including a plurality of line sensors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Interline transfer type CCDs or MOS type sensors have been used heretofore for converting, e.g., one sheet image information into sequential signals for two fields.
Sensors of this type, however, are associated with drawbacks that the rate of opening becomes small and the sensitivity of a sensor is degraded since transfer paths, gates and the like are formed within the light reception area of the sensor. Furthermore, manufacturing such semiconductors with high integration density necessitates a particular technology, thereby resulting in a low yielding. Also the number of pixels is limited.
In constrast with the above, the use of frame transfer type CCDs can solve such problems. However, it has been considered that one sheet image information cannot be converted into a two-field sequential signal by using the frame transfer type CCDs.
In view of this, the applicant has proposed an image sensing apparatus capable of eliminating this drawback and disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 58-138551, published as Japanese Kokai No. 60-30281. More specifically, in the proposed image sensing apparatus, the use of an image sensing apparatus made of a plurality of line sensors disposed in the horizontal direction has permitted obtaining an interlaced two-field signal from a single operation of image sensing.